


The Price of Freedom

by Saeranghaey0



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:47:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25222618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saeranghaey0/pseuds/Saeranghaey0
Summary: I love Saeyoung.I actually love Saeyoung.MC finally came into realization. Saeyoung, the person who supported her in all her endeavours; the person who accepted her faults; the person who never—not even once—got tired of cheering her up; Saeyoung Choi, the person who loved her unconditionally.Normally, one would feel euphoria and clearness of thought from this. However, all she felt was dread, self-hatred, and regret so immense that it consumed her every thought."Is there something wrong, my kitten?" A voice called out to her. Jumin Han. "Is the cage not to your liking?"
Relationships: 707 | Choi Luciel & Main Character, Han Jumin & Main Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	The Price of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually my first attempt at writing angst...... Please be gentle lol. 
> 
> When you see "***" it means it's a flashback, and "---" means the next day. Just so you wont be confused. Hehe. 
> 
> This prompt was inspired by my friend, where she suggested this based on Jumin's bad end 3. Constructive criticism is welcomed, I hope you enjoy ❤️

_ I love Saeyoung.  _

_ I actually love Saeyoung. _

MC finally came into realization. Saeyoung, the person who supported her in all her endeavours; the person who accepted her faults; the person who never—not even once—got tired of cheering her up; Saeyoung Choi, the person who loved her unconditionally.

Normally, one would feel euphoria and clearness of thought from this. However, all she felt was dread, self-hatred, and regret so immense that it consumed her every thought. 

"Is there something wrong, my kitten?" A voice called out to her. Jumin Han. "Is the cage not to your liking?" 

"What do you think?" She replied snarkily.

Already used to her sarcastic remarks, Jumin continued on talking. "I will be attending a short meeting, but I will be back soon. Don't miss me too much..." He paused for a moment. "On second thought, miss me as much as you can, my kitten." He smiled. "I love you. See you later."

"Yeah." 

The door closed, leaving her all alone with Elizabeth the 3rd. 

_ Even a cat has more freedom than me. _ She thought. 

She never expected for Jumin to act this bad—perhaps the rose-coloured glasses she adorned made her overlook the red flags in Jumin's behaviour.

The first few days were actually quite nice; living like a rich girl felt new and exciting. However, it quickly faded when Jumin refused to let her out. 

***

_ "You cannot go outside. The hacker might find you and kidnap you. I can't afford to lose you, my love."  _ He said, when asked to go out for the first time. 

_ "I apologize, my love, I cannot let you out right now because it's still unsafe. Luciel might still be working on the bomb right now, as we speak."  _ He explained on the second day. 

_ "MC, I understand your frustration but please know that I will never let you go in harm's way."  _ Another one of his explanations, which made her lose any hope of him letting her go.

On the fourth day, however, things took a turn for the worst.  _ "Why don't you just keep me in a cage, then?!"  _ Anger and impatience resounding from her tone. She only used it as a figure of speech, but she did not expect for Jumin to take it so seriously. 

_ "You're right. What a wonderful idea."  _ Jumin replied, possessiveness oozing from his voice.

***

"Haaaa." She drew a long sigh. "I really fucked up, didn't I?" She laughed bitterly. Ever since she got locked up, Elizabeth the 3rd has been her companion—talking to her has helped her retain even a little bit of her sanity. 

"At least you're here to accompany me." 

"Meow."

"Seriously, he declares he loves me but always leaves me alone… not that I'm complaining, anyway. His love is suffocating.

...Saeyoung would never do this."

A tear fell from her cheek, and didn't bother to wipe it away.  _ At least through my tears, I can still be free.  _

"Why did I have to realize only now, when it's too late?" She continued talking to Elizabeth the 3rd, letting her words run free in contrast to her situation. "If I hadn't remembered that call, maybe I wouldn't be in this kind of regretful situation." 

*** 

_ "Which one do you like, my kitten?"  _ Jumin held up two neckties for her to choose from.

_ "The one on the right."  _ She replied with indifference. 

_ "Alright. You know me so well. That's why I never want you to leave."  _ He smiled. 

It was practically routine for her to pick a necktie for his work days; at first, she deliberately chose which ones would suit him best. However, as time went on with her locked inside her own version of Rapunzel's tower, she grew indifferent—randomly picking whatever comes to mind. 

In short, it was an uneventful Monday morning.

She was left with her own thoughts after Jumin left for work. 

She was staring blankly at the pristine white ceiling, wishing it was some other color other than white to make it feel less suffocating. 

_ Red.  _

She randomly thought of a color, and red was the first thing that popped up in her head. 

_ "Nah…"  _ she commented, lost in her own thoughts.  _ "Red's not even a good color for a room. Its color personality is too strong."  _

_...I guess that suits Saeyoung perfectly."  _

She paused. Lately, she often catches herself thinking about Saeyoung; a day never goes by without her thinking about him once. She's been dismissing these thoughts as her missing a friend, because.. 

_ That's what he really is to me, right? _

What makes this time different from the other days, though, was that she let herself humor her thoughts. She let loose whatever she's thinking because she's that bored inside her cage. Little did she know, this action would only cause her pain in the future. 

She thought of everything about Saeyoung. His laughs, his corny jokes that always work on her, his blazing red hair full of his outrageous personality, his golden eyes that seemed to outshine even the sun...

.. And how he looked at her when Jumin took her away. 

Something about the way his eyes looked made her even more curious. 

_ It's on the tip of my tongue… What was it called again?  _

She thought long and hard focusing herself to think of the right word, when Jumin entered the penthouse. 

_ "Hello, my kitten."  _ His deep voice once again enveloped the penthouse.  _ "Did you miss me?"  _

_ "Sure."  _ She replied without batting an eye, which made Jumin crumple his forehead in dissatisfaction. 

_ "Are you feeling sick? Are you alright?"  _

_ "It's nothing." _

_ "Come on now, all day at the office I kept looking at my phone's cctv feed because I miss you."  _ He ran his fingers along her hair,  _ "I long for you." _

_ Longing.  _

_ Longing!  _

_ Saeyoung's look was that of longing!  _

_ …Wait. _

_ Does that mean…? _

***

"I still don't understand," you reason out, "why you won't let me see them. They could even come inside the penthouse to visit me! I'd still be in the cage then!" She pleaded, desperation in her voice. "I just… I just want to see them again." Tears were on the verge of falling, and she was trying her best to hold them back. 

Jumin sighed. "Which is even more dangerous, MC. The hacker could've inconspicuously planted a tracking device, and they would lead him to you as easy as that." 

"You're being paranoid!" She shouted. 

"It's better to be paranoid, if it's for your safety. I'm doing this because I love you."

Those words were the last straw for her. It infuriated her for Jumin to use the excuse of his actions because of love, and she  _ desperately  _ wanted to shout and unleash hell in the large penthouse of his. However, she drew in a long breath and calmed herself. 

"Okay." Emotions devoid from her face, she replied.

"Good girl." He smiled. "You're so understanding."

"..."

"I'd like to celebrate our love two days for now, as a reward for being good." 

She looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" 

"A dinner date." 

Her eyes shot up from those three words, a mix of disbelief and caution painted in them. 

"Outside??"

"Well… outside your cage, yes." She deflated.  _ Of course,  _ she thought,  _ what did I expect? _

He continued talking, "I will rent out your favourite restaurant and bring the chefs here to cook for you. I figured you were getting sick of the food I prepared for you."

_ Damn right I am.  _

_ But still, it's much better than being locked up in this cage.  _

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Yeah…" she smiled, genuine this time, "me too."

Jumin went into his room and bade MC goodbye, utterly clueless about what's going on inside MC's mind. As soon as she heard the door shut, she immediately "drew" an escape plan on the wall using her fingers. 

_ No, I can't escape through the front door. There are guards stationed by the door, to make sure I can't escape.  _

_ Not here through the trash chute, either. It's large enough to fit me but the fall would hurt me—plus, I wouldn't have any change of clothes with me to get rid of the garbage smell.  _

_ What if I just seduce the guards? ...nah. that won't work. They're loyal—afraid, rather—of Jumin. They won't risk their jobs only to get into my pants.  _

Hundreds of ideas—even the most absurd ones—went through her mind. Eventually tiring herself out, she decided to think of it the following day. 

\---

"What necktie should I wear today, kitten?" 

_ Same old, same old.  _

"Left." 

"Thanks, MC. I can always count on you. I love you." He smiled, then left. 

"Now," she turned to Elizabeth. "What should I do to escape?" 

"Meow."

"I could trick him into coming out? Do you wanna go outside?"

"Meow." 

"Yeah, you'd be in danger. Guess that's a no, then." 

She stared once again at the ceiling to think of ideas, and found herself brainstorming until nighttime. All of a sudden, a ringtone she's all too familiar with pierced the quietness of the room. 

"That's my phone." She said, wide-eyed, to Elizabeth. "Jumin forgot it! Oh my God, yes!" She exclaimed, hope filling her entire being. She looked for the source of the sound and with luck, she found it reachable within the cage. On the phone flashed a familiar redhead with glasses, and she answered it as fast as she could. 

"Saeyoung!!" She shouted, happiness and relief found in her voice. 

"MC???" He sounded equally surprised and happy. "I can't believe you answered! It's been so long, we've been trying to call you for a long time but you kept on rejecting the call!" 

"No! No, that wasn't me, that was Jumin!"

"Jumin? How? I thought he's keeping you safe?" Confusion coated his words, and was that… anger?

"Yes… He kept me locked up in here because he wanted to protect me… he went overboard and… now I'm in a cage." 

"A cage?!" He shouted, his anger now apparent. "I'm coming for you right now!" 

"No! He has guards stationed at the door and at the hallways!" She explained, seemingly hopeless. 

"Wait…" she spoke, "I have an idea." Saeyoung remained quiet at the end of the line, waiting for her to continue. "Tomorrow… tomorrow he'll let me out of this cage, to eat dinner with him here. You can… you can disguise yourself as one of the chefs and infiltrate this place, and take me away." 

"Okay. Your plan sounds good." Saeyoung replied."I'm so glad I finally got to hear your voice. We'll get to see each other tomorrow, okay? Keep safe until then. I'll save you."

"I will. I'm glad, too." She internally debated saying she loves him in the call, but decided it'd be best to say it in person. "See you tomorrow, Saeyoung," and hung up. She deleted the call log and put it back carefully where she found it so that Jumin won't find out.

She jumped with joy and excitement, unable to contain herself from the fact that she would finally be free tomorrow. Cutting her celebration short, another ring came from the phone—not hers, but the penthouse's telephone—and went to the answering machine. 

_ "My kitten, I'm afraid I'm gonna be late today. I hope you're okay. I love you."  _

"I don't care anymore, she muttered to herself. I will finally be free tomorrow." 

She had the best sleep of her life that night. 

\---

She woke up without Jumin in sight, and checked the clock. The telephone rang once again, and redirected the message to his answering machine.  _ "Good morning, kitten. Or should I say, good afternoon?"  _ He chuckled.  _ "I didn't have the courage to wake you up, you were sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to disturb you. I look forward to eating dinner with you later. I love you."  _

Seemingly disinterested, she looked at the place where her phone was. Unsurprisingly, it was nowhere to be found. "I guess he realized it too, huh?" 

"Meow."

"You're the only one I'll miss in this place."

"Meow." 

"I can finally see Saeyoung."

"Meow." 

"I can finally tell him I love him."

Time passed by quickly, and soon enough, Jumin came home with a smile on his face. "Hello, kitten. Did you miss me?" He smiled, with the same gentle smile he adorned before he went into his possessive streak. Her heart hurt. She really felt how in love Jumin was with her, as twisted as it is.

"Here you go, MC. I bought this dress for you to wear on our dinner." He handed her a box with a red ribbon on it, and she opened it to find a white knee-length dress. 

"It's beautiful. Thank you." It really was, and as much as she hated to admit it, he really did pay attention to her tastes.

"The chef will arrive later. For safety purposes, I will only open this cage when he's at the door, so you won't try to escape. You understand, right?" 

Containing her inner anger, she agreed. "Yeah." 

"You can go change right now, he's on his way here." 

"Okay."

She stripped out of her clothes and changed into the dress. It hugged her figure nicely, complimenting her curves well. 

"You look beautiful." He smiled, his gentle smile now replaced with the all-familiar possessiveness she got used to seeing. 

They heard a knock on the door and taking it as a signal, Jumin finally opened the cage. He led her out to the table beside the window for a starry view, and the guards opened the door to let the chef in. 

"Good evening, Mr. Han." He bowed in his direction.

If it wasn't for his golden eyes, she wouldn't have known it was Saeyoung. She knew that he was good with disguises, but she didn't know he was  _ this  _ good. She badly wanted to just run to him and hug him tightly, but she composed herself.

_ All in good time,  _ she thought. 

"This is the menu, feel free to choose something you like." 

"We'll have the usual." Jumin stopped him from handing the menu. "You must know it by heart, since I order from you quite often. Right?" 

_ What? _

"...R-right. Excuse me, sir." Saeyoung replied, hurriedly making his way to the kitchen.

_ How was Saeyoung supposed to know what he usually orders? Ho— _

"Hold on," Jumin commanded, cutting off her thoughts. "stay there." 

Saeyoung and MC exchanged nervous glances and Jumin turned to look at her. "You know, my kitten, I think there's something you may have forgotten."

Her heart started beating loudly, afraid that Jumin might hear it. 

"W-what is it, Jumin?" She replied, hiding her nervousness. 

_ Did he figure out our plan???  _ She thought, much more worried about Saeyoung's situation rather than her own. 

"I'm sure I told you how I was always watching," he said, and then turned to Saeyoung. "I even asked you to install it, right, Saeyoung?" 

Everything fell apart. The look on Saeyoung's face perfectly mirrored MC's expression. 

"And to think that you were being such a good girl." Jumin remarked, disappointment apparent on his face. 

"I…" MC spoke with a shaking voice. "I can't do this anymore, Jumin."

"Guards." Jumin commanded. In the blink of an eye, the guards apprehended Saeyoung, holding him by his neck. 

"If you promise to leave us alone, I will let you leave unscathed. If you don't, however," one of the guards pointed a gun on his head. "You know what happens."

"How could you do this?!" MC shouted, "He's your  _ friend!  _ I can't believe you'd point a gun at someone you consider a friend!!" 

" _ Was  _ my friend, MC." He spoke, still calm—as if there isn't a whole ordeal happening in the same room. "The minute he barged in here to steal you away from me… I knew he couldn't be trusted anymore. Who knows what danger awaits you if you went with him."

" _ You  _ are the danger!" She shouted, letting her feelings out for the first time. "Every day I waste in that stupid cage, the more I lose my sanity. The only time I truly was free was when…" she hesitated, and looked at Saeyoung. "...Was when I was with him." 

Saeyoung and Jumin both stared at her with wide eyes. 

"Excuse me?" Jumin said in disbelief.

"What?" Saeyoung asked, mouth wide open.

_ Now you've done it, MC _ . She thought.  _ There's no going back.  _

"Saeyoung… I love you. I'm sorry that it took me this long to realize how I actually feel, but I'm glad I realized it later than never." 

Saeyoung just stared at her, unable to speak. 

In a quick manner, she opened the window behind her, and sat on the ledge. 

"No… MC, don't!" Saeyoung shouted. "Jumin! What are you doing just sitting there!" 

"Don't!" She warned Jumin. "Don't touch me, Jumin. Every day I was in hell because of you. Every day I wished for death because of you. Don't you dare take my freedom away from me anymore," she snapped, tears streaking her face. 

"Let me go! Please!" Saeyoung begged the guards. "Let me save her!" He cried.

"This isn't actually the way I wanted to confess, you know." She laughed bitterly. "But I guess I got too caught up in my delusions from being locked up for so long. Maybe…" she paused.

"Maybe being free wasn't meant for me." She smiled, and pushed herself out the window.

"MC!" Saeyoung cried, his voice fading away the further down she went. 

She didn't expect that falling from a high-rise building can make someone feel so free. For the first time, she genuinely smiled. 

_ I'll look for you in my next life, Saeyoung.  _ She thought.  _ In my next life where I'm finally free.  _


End file.
